Pull High or Get Under Fast?
Pull High or Get Under Fast? This common question is a problem because it implies those are the only two options.
First, we’re always trying to get under the bar as quickly as possible—that’s never been a debate. The pull under the bar should always be maximal effort and speed, even with the lightest weights.
The issue is with this idea of “pulling the bar high”—the way this is typically phrased is unclear, and how it’s interpreted is all over the place.
Bottom line: we need to accelerate the bar upward maximally, to achieve at least the minimum elevation and upward momentum that allows us the time and space to move under the bar. Regardless of how fast you’re able to pull under, there must be a certain amount of acceleration and elevation when you begin to be successful—if that’s confusing, just consider how much you can tall snatch or clean.
Accelerating the bar up maximally is NOT the same thing as pulling or elevating the bar as high as possible.
We need to hit maximal productive extension—the extension that produces maximal upward acceleration on the bar, which is what will give us the elevation and momentum needed to get under it. After this degree of extension, even though we would gain more elevation on the bar if we continued to pull up, we lose the speed necessary to take advantage of it and it becomes less effective.
Like the drive of a jerk, where exactly this maximal speed is reached varies among athletes, but it will always be close to straight knees and the hips extended enough to bring the shoulder at least slightly behind the hip, except in rare cases in the snatch, and more commonly in cleans, in which it’s possible for some athletes to get adequate acceleration earlier because of the comparatively small demand for elevation.
Finishing the pull doesn’t mean doing a high-pull; it means completing productive extension rather than cutting the pull off short and trying to sneak under the bar before you’ve achieved the necessary acceleration—it means you’re pulling the bar correctly for maximal effectiveness.
So the answer is simple: finish productive extension for maximal upward acceleration, and use that acceleration to change directions and pull under as fast as possible.
First, we’re always trying to get under the bar as quickly as possible—that’s never been a debate. The pull under the bar should always be maximal effort and speed, even with the lightest weights.
The issue is with this idea of “pulling the bar high”—the way this is typically phrased is unclear, and how it’s interpreted is all over the place.
Bottom line: we need to accelerate the bar upward maximally, to achieve at least the minimum elevation and upward momentum that allows us the time and space to move under the bar. Regardless of how fast you’re able to pull under, there must be a certain amount of acceleration and elevation when you begin to be successful—if that’s confusing, just consider how much you can tall snatch or clean.
Accelerating the bar up maximally is NOT the same thing as pulling or elevating the bar as high as possible.
We need to hit maximal productive extension—the extension that produces maximal upward acceleration on the bar, which is what will give us the elevation and momentum needed to get under it. After this degree of extension, even though we would gain more elevation on the bar if we continued to pull up, we lose the speed necessary to take advantage of it and it becomes less effective.
Like the drive of a jerk, where exactly this maximal speed is reached varies among athletes, but it will always be close to straight knees and the hips extended enough to bring the shoulder at least slightly behind the hip, except in rare cases in the snatch, and more commonly in cleans, in which it’s possible for some athletes to get adequate acceleration earlier because of the comparatively small demand for elevation.
Finishing the pull doesn’t mean doing a high-pull; it means completing productive extension rather than cutting the pull off short and trying to sneak under the bar before you’ve achieved the necessary acceleration—it means you’re pulling the bar correctly for maximal effectiveness.
So the answer is simple: finish productive extension for maximal upward acceleration, and use that acceleration to change directions and pull under as fast as possible.
